• • • • Jv » 5 •" ^ W>- -. r THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY *>•£ 810L06I t»- ^**v Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. U. of I. Library DECli DEC 2 5 15 AUG3 19 51 MM 23! 987 1762S-S FIELD MUSEUM OK NATURAL HISTORY. PUBLICATION 148. ZOOLOGICAL SERIES. VOL. VII, No. 12. NOTES ON BATRACHIANS AM) RKPTILES FROM THE ISLANDS NORTH OF VENEZUELA BY SETH EUGENE MEEK, Assistant Curator of Department. CHARLES B. COKV, Curator of Department of Zoology. CHICAGO, U. S. A. August, 1910. NOTES ON BATRACHIA AND REPTILIA FROM THE ISLANDS NORTH OF VENEZUELA. BY SETH EUGENE MEEK. During the winter of 1908-9 Mr. J. F. Ferry was sent by the Museum to collect birds on the islands off the north coast of Venezuela. He was instructed so far as possible to collect mammals and reptiles. Although the collection of reptiles is not large, it is sufficiently so to indicate quite well the nature of the reptilian fauna of these islands. An account of the birds collected by Mr. Ferry was prepared by Prof. C. B. Cory* and published by the Museum. A paper on the mam- mals is being prepared by Mr. W. H. Osgood. Batrachia. Paludicola brachyops (Cope). Margarita Island. One specimen which agrees very well with the description given by Dr. Boulenger except that the tympanum is very distinct, being about half the diameter of the eye. Reptilta. Leptodira albofusca (Lacdpede). Margarita Island (2). Body 411 mm., tail 125 mm., scales, 18- 181-72; body, 360 mm. , tail 138 mm. , scales 18-177-85. No dark median line on the occiput; ventral surface whitish, no brown specks. Zamenis mentovarius (Dumeril & Bibron). Margarita Island. Body 1250 mm. , tail 450 mm. , scales 17- 201- 105; body 800 mm., tail29omm., scales 17-205-106. Olive-brown, the tip and center of each scale very dark on the smaller specimen, much less so on the larger one; ventral surface of * Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Pub. Ornithol. Ser., Vol. I, No. 5, pp. 191-2560. 415 416 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY —ZOOLOGY, VOL. VII. larger specimen uniform white, except slightly darker on the chest; smaller specimen with two series of olive spots on chest. Drymobius boddrertii (Sentzen.) Margarita Island. Body 500 mm., tail 245 mm., scales 17- 192—90. Aves Island. Two specimens, received in bad condition; so far as could be observed these were not unlike the Margarita specimen. Color brownish gray; edges of scales on posterior portion of body with narrow margins of black to very broad margins on anterior por- tion; two dark lines on each side, the upper one anteriorly bordered with narrow white lines; a median white stripe on neck fading out above about 45th ventral plate; ventral surface of head and chest brownish black. Oxbelis accuminatus (Wied). Margarita Island. Body 914 mm., tail, 312 mm., scales 17-182- 170. Color much lighter than on smaller specimens from Panama and the mainland of Venezuela. Crotalus terrificus (Laurenti). Aruba. Body 665 mm., tail 90 mm., scales 27-168-28, rattles 9. Anolis lineatus (Gray). Aruba. Four specimens, 56 to 80 mm. Curacao. Ten specimens, 47 to 66 mm. Anolis alligator Dumeril & Bibron. Aves Island. One specimen, 58 mm. Bonaire. One specimen, 48 mm. Thecadactylus rapicaudus Gray. Curacao Island. Three specimens, 710 to 850 mm. Tropidurus hispidus (Spix). Margarita Island. Two specimens, 73 and 86 mm. Aves Island. Two specimens, 82 and 102 mm. Iguana tuberculata Gray. This lizard is reported to be very abundant on all the islands. The collection contains specimens from the following: Blanquilla (8); Los Hermanos (2); Margarita (i); Aves (i); Curacao (i); Aruba (i). August, 1910. BATRACHIANS AXD REPTILES — MEEK. 417 Ameiva surinamensis Gray. Aves Island. Three specimens, 80 to 116 mm. Cnemidophorus murinus Gray. Bonaire Island. Five specimens, 62 to 108 mm. Color of the largest specimens (62 to 108 mm.) bluish green; sides and upper surface of legs with large blue spots ; no lateral bands ; smallest speci- mens (65 to 70 mm.) brownish on back, sides with wavy longitudinal lines, the 3rd on each side darker and broader than the others; ven- tral surface lighter than dorsal. Curacao Island. Fourteen specimens, 66 to 130 mm. These specimens differ from the above in being black on the dorsal region to reddish brown on ventral; no lateral stripes; largest specimens (no to 130 mm.) with few large spots, none on the smallest ones (66 to 90 mm.). Cnemidophorus lemniscatus Gray. Margarita Island. One specimen, 59 mm., in all respects like those from the mainland. Cnemidophorus nigricolor Peters. Los Roques Island. Twenty-nine specimens, 50 to 95 mm. Of the smaller lizards on these islands this species is apparently the most abundant. Those from Los Roques Island, the type locality of the species, are a uniform black to slightly brownish (3 specimens, 58 to 65 mm.) on the back with the ventral surface dark greenish. The darker individuals have no spots or stripes on the body or legs, the browner individuals have the upper surface of the legs with many small spots, and a few indistinct ones on the rump. The brachial scales are much smaller than on C. lemniscatus, the two enlarged rows extending about half way from elbow to the shoulder; mesoptychial scales slightly enlarged. Aruba Island. Four specimens, 43 to 108 mm. The specimens from Aruba vary considerably and differ from those mentioned above. The smallest specimen (43 mm.), has 9 distinct stripes on the body, the anterior portions broken into spots; legs and sides below stripes blue spotted; one larger specimen (85 mm.) has 5 stripes on posterior part of body, leg's and sides blue spotted ; on the other two specimens (90 and 108 mm.) the stripes are more indis- tinct and more broken into spots ; brachial and mesoptychial scales slightly larger than on specimens from Los Roques Island. Aves Island. Twelve specimens, 57 to 80 mm. 418 FIELD MUSEUM OP NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. VII. Three individuals, 57 to 80 mm., show no trace of lateral stripes and have very few spots on the body and legs; nine other individuals, 60 to 7 8 mm. , have the sides and legs spotted. The brachial scales vary, the two enlarged rows extending in some specimens nearly to the shoulder. Blanquilla Island. One specimen, 61 mm., is dark bluish green with numerous spots on sides and legs; lateral stripes distinct; brachial scales slightly larger than on specimens from typical locality. Margarita Island. One specimen, 66 mm., from Margarita Island much resembles the one from Blanquilla, except that there is no trace of lateral stripes; the enlarged rows of brachial scales extend nearly to shoulder. Testudo tabulata Walbaum. Testigos Island. One specimen. Length of carapace 245 mm., height,- 1 16 mm.; width, 145 mm.; length of central vertebral shield, 44mm.; its width, 63 mm.; length of third costal shield, 47 mm.; its width, 72 mm. Color black, the vertebral and costal shields with yellow centers; plastron with a large dark central area ; shields with strong concentric striae. cr * - S^-?**-*5*". « ^ •• 1 -fjc n \ £ **; • «> -^ V / * UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 590. 5FI C001 FIELDIANA, ZOOLOGY$CHGO 71905 30112009379915 '«w* .-" *